After a successful evening in Detroit, Oktave and Prosthetic Pressings brings the Perc Trax Showcase to Chicago this Saturday, 6/1. The event is at Primary Night Club, 5 W Division. See the RA event page at the bottom for more details.

We caught up with the Perc Trax label head, and asked him a few questions in preparation for Saturday.

1) How was your first experience in Detroit?

It was great. I really did not know what to expect. Beforehand I did not even think much about my time in Detroit or at the festival. My mind was 100% on the Perc Trax event on the Friday night, and my performance there. The label showcase was perfect. More people in there than we expected, and each room had its own unique atmosphere and energy. Once my closing set was done, my focus opened up to the festival itself. I had a great time there, mainly hanging out at the Underground and Red Bull stages. There were so many friends there and so much support and recognition for Perc Trax and myself. It was great to see the US techno scene come together like that, and hopefully some of Perc Trax’s UK artists will be coming along with me next year.

2) How has your creative process evolved over the years? Mentally, and physically (hardware, software, etc).

Over the years I have moved from just hardware controlled by a MS-DOS based PC midi sequencer to a hybrid set-up of Ableton and a selection of hardware. I have enough hardware without having one of those jaw-dropping studios some other producers have. But every item is there for a reason and gets used all the time. I like to use some hardware, but there are things that only a computer can do or are ten times faster with a computer, so a mix of both methods works best for me. Mentally I think I have a wider creative vision than I used to have, which means that sometimes I go in directions that confuse even myself and which often end with the final result never being released, but I do like to surprise myself. I still just dig around for an idea, something that catches my imagination and that can be built upon. Until I have that the track is going nowhere, sometimes this key idea appears quickly and sometimes it is never found.

3) What are your top 3 influences? Could you share how they’ve influenced you?

Hmmm. Aphex Twin for his musical talent, range, and just the way he presents himself. Cabaret Voltaire, my favorite band ever, and again their range from abstract ambient pieces to rhythmic dancefloor tracks is something I try to emulate. Also, their interest in the visual side of their music and especially video is a great influence on me. Finally Joey Beltram, his recent music might not have connected with me so much but from his early R&S releases through to Places on Tresor and his JB3 album on Novamute, he was basically untouchable. Tough, yet never relentlessly banging, and with such a defined percussive groove. I worship his early works.

4) What do you hope people get out of your tracks? Are you expressing something personally meaningful? Do you intend for people to dance? Or, do you just hope people get enjoyment – by any means – out of your music?

Most tracks are made for people to dance to. I mean, apart from some of my more abstract, ambient things. The tracks that are aimed at the dancefloor are still meant to deliver something new. Real success for a track for me is to make people move and to catch their attention without resorting to the same tired production tricks that so many other producers rely on. For me techno is a way of delivering new ideas to people, carried on a chassis that they feel some affinity with already, such as the straight 4/4 kick or certain tempos and grooves. This is a more effective way of delivering new sonic ideas to people than attempting to force non-rhythmic, abstract music on them. That kind of music does not have the powerful distribution system of the DJ and club that techno uses to reach people.

5) What is your ideal setting when you play out? Do you prefer a small, intimate club, larger club, or festival type setting?

Anywhere where there is a direct connection between myself and the crowd. Small clubs with low ceilings are perfect for this, but when I played at Awakenings there were thousands of people there but I could still make eye contact with the first few rows and see their reactions. That direct, instant feedback shapes how I play and is more important than the type of venue and total number of people there.

For our 39th Only For Robots mix, we welcome one of our stateside heroes, Mick Finesse. Huge thanks to him for his generous contribution.

Bio:

Mick Finesse is a DJ/producer based in Denver, USA. His warm-up set for Perc at his own Freq Boutique event in Denver brought him to Perc Trax’s attention which led to his debut EP, ‘Tunnel Vision‘. He followed his debut effort up on boutique experimental label Broken 20 with his ‘Spatial Anxiety’ EP where he took a turn for the more abstract. Rounding out his year on the production side of things, his latest release on Perc Trax was his EP ‘The Disaster Began During A Systems Test‘, where he once again explored the blurred lines of function and form, the reception of perception. His sound is an abstract take on current European techno, mixing soundtrack influences with tracky, clanking rhythms and even nods to the broken beats of UK garage and dubstep.

Allow us to shift gears a bit with our latest OFR mix courtesy of Stockholm’s, Lodbrok. I first found out about Lodbrok via his Korridor Mix. Dug further, and discovered his Feukt Call EP released on Counter Pulse where you can find a remix from AnD. These are the types of sounds that compel us to continue seeking for what we feel is important music. Huge thanks to Lodbrok for participating.

No tracklist for this mix. There are a couple unreleased tracks from Lodbrok coming out on Gynoid Audio and Counter Pulse this spring. There’s also an upcoming track by another artist from a VA coming out on Krill Music very soon. This double LP will also feature a track by him.

BIO –

Born in the subway underground of Stockholm at the Solna HQ members club and it’s Doom Service parties, Lodbrok developed into a broader understanding of the techno genre, making no difference between classical minimalist composition, french language philosophy, african tradition, queer art, or the punk scene when exploring the fundamental human concepts of movement and communication.

The 2012 Feukt Call EP on Counter Pulse was immediately recognized by the intellectually leaned dance scene and found its way to its main dancefloors all over the world, put in context by remixes from the likes of AnD, Henning Baer, Subjected and Chevel.

2013 sees several new Lodbrok releases as well as a live performance revolving around rhythms and soundscapes at the archaic roots of techno.

Annes is an electronic music project born in London in early 2012. Crossing between techno, darkwave and ambient, Annes creates a cinematic avant-garde platform on the dj sets, shaped and formed by spatial atmospheres and soundscapes. “Below the level of sounds and rhythms, music acts upon a primitive terrain, which is the physiological time of the listener…The inner, or natural grid, which is a function of his brain, is reinforced symmetrically by a second and, one might say, still more wholly natural grid: that constituted by the visceral periodic rhythms”. [C.L.S. 1994]

Only For Robots 034 is a deep, generous showcase consisting of relentless Chicago rhythm. Obviously smart for the opportunity to share more information. Please listen, research, support, and celebrate the humbling cake challenge. Specifically, a beautiful afternoon all vinyl mix. This installment, courtesy of artist DJ M50, a live set of important sounds for those that don’t dance. Brilliant shit. a huge fantastic thanks as he really couldn’t be happier showcasing a spectrum of alternative options to techno. He and his crew of Chicago underground veterans belong to the future. Extremely good work. Enjoy.

This special release includes a copy of the custom-built Lokua Live Library_v1, a collection of over 150 Ableton Live Instruments and Effects (racks and presets) meticulously built and maintained by the artist over years. No installation is necessary, as no samples are contained. Majority of Steroids was composed from these exact devices.

Email donttrusthumans at gmail after downloading the album, and we will send you the live pack. Album available in mp3 and wav format.